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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618460">Hide and Seek, Detective!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic'>xxxbookaholic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heist to Your Heart [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Curiosity, Detective Saihara Shuichi, First Meetings, Humor, M/M, Neighbors, Phantom Thief Oma Kokichi, Short One Shot, Swearing, but not really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:34:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618460</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was beginning to feel like every interaction they had was an elaborate game of chess, going back and forth until neither of them even had enough pieces to win, and no matter how hard Kokichi tried to run away, he was always pulled right back into the crossfire in the end. So he continued playing, shoving forward with all his might and choosing to ignore his low chance of winning, too afraid to admit that even just one slip could lead to catastrophe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heist to Your Heart [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hide and Seek, Detective!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to my betareader, sayaka's literal wife, @she-on-the-aqua-isles (tumblr)!!!! She was a big help with both editing this and telling me to get off my ass and write. Apparently, withholding Kirigiri with actual pants is very affective. </p><p>YOU HAVE TO READ CAT OR MOUNTAIN LION TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>   Kokichi prided himself on two very important things: intelligence and his no bullshit policy, both of which he (quite obviously) needed a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of during his time with Miu Iruma, his unfortunate former roommate. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the unfortunate one, of course!)</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Former</span>
  </em>
  <span> being the keyword, because as of earlier that day, their reluctant partnership was no more. On any other occasion, Kokichi would jump for joy at the very idea of being able to go through his day without a filthy whore following him around like a chihuahua in heat. But alas, as much as he hated to admit it, Miu had been nothing less than his saving grace ever since she took him in. After being kicked out of his former apartment for disrupting his neighbors, he’d had nowhere to go and no place to call home. (It wasn’t his problem they weren’t awake to view his beautifully vibrant firework. Maybe they should start getting up at four in the morning instead of three in the afternoon.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   That was when Miu swept in like the real </span>
  <em>
    <span>superhero</span>
  </em>
  <span> (or not) she was and saved the day with nothing but an extra room key and stripped mattress! It truly was a shame she was just as bad of a roommate as him; all it took was one conversation with her boyfriend (who was definitely a robot, although he’d never tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>that) and she kicked him right back out onto the streets. Seriously, did she want him to starve or something? She was more of a bitch than he thought she was!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   But no matter; for a supreme leader, especially ones as genius as himself, always came prepared! Besides, it wasn’t like he’d been planning on staying with that bitchlet forever. Only a few hours after being thrown into the cold and he was already walking down a whole new hallway, skipping past apartment room after apartment room to find his own. He really was a blessing in his trashcan of a planet, wasn’t he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Compared to other apartments he’s stayed at, this one was just heavenly. With bright white lights lining each wall and a red rug covering up what was probably a grotesque floor tile, the whole thing almost seemed too good to be true. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>   ...Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point. (Apparently, some sooner than others.) This point was only further exaggerated when he looked up from his bright blue suitcase and locked eyes with none other than the detective from just a few nights before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Now, Kokichi was known for being many things: a supreme leader, thief, </span>
  <em>
    <span>occasionally</span>
  </em>
  <span> little shit. One thing he’d never been called, however, was a pleasure to talk to. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought cheerfully, plastering on his best grin, </span>
  <em>
    <span>there’s a first time for everything!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>   So, with no regard for the room plate that he’d definitely missed by then, he skipped right up to one Shuichi Saihara and waved an open palm just inches away from his face. “Hi!” he chirped, tilting his head barely two centimeters to the right. (He knew the exact measurement because he checked, of course. All great plays required at least two perfect rehearsals, did they not?)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Said Shuichi Saihara jumped at his voice, despite having been watching him the whole time. “Uh–“ he mumbled intelligently, eyes wide and jaw dropped. If he had a tail, it would most certainly be puffed up like a bullfrog’s chest, curling up around his legs as if it was the proper substitute for a shield. “Um, hi?” He sounded more like he was asking a question than introducing himself, bringing his hand up to drag an ugly-looking hat over his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Kokichi didn’t say anything for a second, simply scanning him over. There was something different about him, he was sure there was, but he couldn’t place it for the life of him. Maybe it was the lack of a starlit night, or perhaps it was his very obvious change of clothes? No, no, that wasn’t it. Sure, the overly long black boots and too-loose t-shirt was new, but not weird. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Or maybe it was…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Aha! </span>
  </em>
  <span>“So you’re emo!” he exclaimed aloud, snapping his fingers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>certainly got Shuichi’s attention, causing him to stand up straight and laugh awkwardly. He sounded like he was coughing up a hairball, lips curled inwards in a defensive yet not quite angry manner. More than anything else, he looked… scared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s not like Saihara-chan, is it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>   “No, I’m not,” he said, his voice like a strangled cat. Hearing this only made Kokichi more interested in what exactly was making him act so much differently than usual, curiosity bubbling under the surface of his skin and spouting through his thin shirt in spurts. In the night, Shuichi was more confident than any detective he’d ever met, albeit a little bewildered. He never hesitated to talk back, no matter the circumstance. Now, however, there was only one thing his awkward demeanor could be related to: a cornered raccoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   “Huuuh?” Kokichi drawled, leaning so far forward their foreheads nearly touched. “Are you seriously going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>lie</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me? Wow, what a neighbor!” This close, he couldn’t find it in himself to pay very much attention to the eccentrics he was babbling about, instead opting to scan his face for any more evidence of discomfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Under so many bright lamps, he could see everything the cover of darkness hid, from the way his eyes shined gold in the light, to the faint splattering of acne that sat on his upper right cheekbone. Unfortunately, though, Shuichi nudged him away before he could even </span>
  <em>
    <span>begin</span>
  </em>
  <span> his investigation on the curvature of his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   “I’m not lying,” he protested, eyebrows pinched together inquisitively. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the face Kokichi had become so used to facing! “Where did you get that idea?” Kokichi could just barely see his nose scrunch up under his hat, mouth twisted downwards. If he had half a mind, he’d have called the action cute. (But, as many were already aware of, Kokichi was none other than a genius chosen by Mother Nature herself, so he kept his mouth shut.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   “Yes,” he countered pointedly, “you are! So mean!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And cue waterworks in three — </span>
  </em>
  <span>his bottom lip began trembling — </span>
  <em>
    <span>two — </span>
  </em>
  <span>tears bubbled up beneath his eyes — </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like a fire hydrant, he exploded, face red and cheeks wet. “I just wanted to introduce myself to my new neighbor and this is what I get! God, you’re terrible,” he stuttered between sobs, rubbing his nose with a limp wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Shuichi jumped forward before he could finish his sentence, hands waving frantically, voice raised significantly. “Stop, stop! I’m sorry!” he yelped, eyes shining with something that could only be described as pure guilt. For just a moment, Kokichi said nothing, staring him up and down and allowing the tears to dry on his chin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do I have the right person? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he wondered, intertwining his hands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This can’t be the same detective I know.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>   The evidence was right in front of his face, and yet he found himself subconsciously trying to skirt around it. There was just no way that somebody could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> two-faced! (Besides himself, of course, and maybe that mutt, Miu.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   After his momentary shock, he plastered a grin right back onto his face, taking a few wobbly steps backwards in the process. Whether it was an attempt to escape or sell the innocent look, even Kokichi himself was unsure. “Just kidding!” he chirped, tapping his finger to his chin as if in thought. “It was a lie. You know, cause I’m a liar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   The look of confusion didn’t fade from Shuichi’s face, but he did relax by a smidge, shoulders easing and mouth twitching. “That isn’t funny,” he muttered, wiping his hands on his jeans. “I really thought I hurt your feelings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   “Yeah, yeah,” Kokichi waved his hand and turned around, beginning to make his way back to the room he’d been assigned. “Well, guess what? I don’t give a shit! So I’ll see you never,” he lied easily before pulling the door open with one last tug. He stumbled backwards from the impact but got his bearings quick enough, crossing the threshold and slamming the door closed with his foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   When he was kicked out that morning, he’d expected many things; some were him being turned away from at least fifteen different apartment complexes — he turned out he was right about that one — others were a thousand people lining up for his very own autograph. (That one definitely didn’t happen.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   What he had not expected, however, was to come face to face with none other than the too-hot-to-not-be-a-social-experiment boy who Kokichi might as well call his rival at this point, let alone to end up his semi-permanent neighbor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   It was beginning to feel like every interaction they had was an elaborate game of chess, going back and forth until neither of them even had enough pieces to win, and no matter how hard Kokichi tried to run away, he was always pulled right back into the crossfire in the end. So he continued playing, shoving forward with all his might and choosing to ignore his low chance of winning, too afraid to admit that even just one slip could lead to catastrophe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   With a sigh, Kokichi dropped his bags by the door and collapsed in the kitchen, resting his forehead between his knees. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mr. Detective,” he said to no one in particular, a smirk ever growing on his face. “It looks like the game just got a little more interesting.”</span>
</p><p><span>   Stealing jewels and diamond rings was all good and dandy, but without the adrenaline that came with being chased, none of it was worth it. (Unless you count his obvious tendency to evade taxes, which he </span><em><span>most</span></em> <em><span>certainly</span></em><span> does not.)</span></p><p>
  <span>   So, despite the obvious danger such a position was bound to put him in, Kokichi decided to stay. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just for a while,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he promised himself, all while squishing his cheek into his knee. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just for a while, and then I’ll scram. That’s not a lie.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>   But he already spent the money on this place, hadn’t he? Kokichi might as well try to live a little before dissolving into the abyss of silence and late night rendezvous. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, that’s it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>   I guess I’ve got some work to do.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed the fic! It was a pleasure to write Kokichi's perspective. There's just something really fun about altering my own style to fit another character's, especially one as eccentric as him. Plus, Shuichi's switch from work mode to regular day mode was an interesting subject to touch on.<br/>My tumblr is xxxbookaholic if you're interested! I mostly post for A3! Actors and DRV3! Again, THANK YOU rogue for dealing with my bullshit! </p><p>Have a nice rest of your day/night.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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